Barcelona have been in financial turmoil for a few years now, and one star player seems to be paying the price
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Barcelona vice-president Eduard Romeu has revealed the wage one of the squad's star players earns, and it's ridiculously lower than anyone would have expected.
The financial struggles at Barcelona have been well-documented over the past few years, with La Liga refusing the club to register new signings unless they slash their wage bill and address their significant debts.
The club have pulled plenty of financial levers in the meantime, selling off portions of future media rights and their own Barca Studios in order to meet La Liga's requirements as they struggle with over €1bn in debt. Bringing in new players, therefore, hasn't proved straightforward, but it certainly helps when one agrees to a weekly wage of just €7,700.
Barca vice-president Eduard Romeu (Image credit: Getty Images)
Indeed, Barcelona signed Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid in the summer, with the Portuguese forward desperate to leave the Spanish capital and Diego Simeone's stewardship.
With a reported wage of €289,000-a-week, though, the Blaugrana simply couldn't have afforded to commit to such a significant cost. Fortunately for them, Felix was so desperate that he agreed to a major reduction in wages.
"It’s true, Joao Felix has reduced his salary to €400,000 to join," Romeu told L'Esportiu. "It is the case of a person who has made a very important effort to join. It's very nice to see this from a guy who was probably not at his best at his club, but here he has been magnificent.
Felix is earning considerably less than his team-mates (Image credit: Getty Images)
"Make no mistake about it, however, the club that gave Felix to us has an interest in this being a great showcase. Hopefully, at the end of the year, we will have the conflict of having to consider his continuity."
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Felix has proved an important member of Xavi's starting XI since signing from Atletico, starting seven out of Barcelona's eight games and both scoring and assisting three goals from left-wing.
The 23-year-old now looks set to be rewarded for his form, with Barcelona offering him a 900 per cent pay rise, according to Catalunya Radio. As per his initial contract, the report highlights that Barcelona agreed to pay him €4m a year once their financial situation had improved.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
